James Keller
by auburntiger134
Summary: What if anne Sullivan took a week off from helping Helen and the Kellers had to find a substitue. This shows what happens when James falls for Helens new teacher and how it effects everything.


In the story The Miracle Worker, which was the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, I always found the character James, Helen's half brother, an interesting character but he was not mentioned a lot. That is why I am writing this story; to say what I think happened to James after Anne came. But it is the POV of a new girl who comes to help with Helen when Anne gets a few weeks of vacation.

I got out of the carriage as we arrived at the Keller's house. I had on a simple green dress and had my long blonde hair pulled up and out of my emerald green eyes. I had been talking with Katie, Helen's mom, and Captain Keller, Helen's father. We had been talking about Helen and all of the wonderful things Mrs. Anna had taught her, I was extremely happy to meet Helen. I had been working with the blind and deaf for a while now, but never anyone who was both blind and deaf. I knew this was going to be difficult but I was still excited.

"Where is Helen?" I asked.

"She is probably around back; we left her with her brother." Katie said.

I could tell they were hesitant about me, I was still young, but I knew what I was doing. I smiled at them and walked around back. I found Helen sitting on the porch with her brother. He did not look like he knew what he was doing, because he was just sitting there looking at her. I walked up to her and sat my bag down next to her. I kneeled down so that I was face to face with her. Her hands moved up to my face and started feeling my facial features. She stuck out her hand for me to tell her who I was. I sat there thinking what to tell her, I knew Anne had already told her that she was her teacher. I took her hand and spelled out my name, A-s-h-l-e-y. She spelled it back to me and I took her hand to the side of my face and shook my head yes. I stood back up and picked up my case, Helen also stood up and she took me by the hand. She led me up to where I was going to be staying. T-h-a-n-k Y-o-u, she had learned what that meant now and spelled back, Y-o-u-r W-e-l-c-o-m-e. "You are so smart." I said smiling down at her. I opened up my bag and handed her a little doll I brought for her. She sat down and started to play with it while I started unpacking.

While I was unpacking there had been a knock at the door. "Hello" a voice said and I turned around to see who it was, since I did not recognize the voice.

When I turned around I saw that it was Helen's brother. "Hello" I said "Who might you be? I know you are Helen's brother but I did not catch your name before."

"I'm James but everyone around her calls me Jimmy. I did not catch what you told Helen your name was. I have not learned how to talk to her yet, Miss Sullivan will not teach me." James said.

"Well my name is Ashley and as seeing as I am probably a year or two younger than you are you do not have to call me Miss, like you do Anne." I said and then looked over to Helen who was preoccupied with her doll. "Well since it looks like I have some free time I can teach it to you if you would want me to teach you."

"That would be nice" James said.

"Well you need to come over here; I promise I will not bite." I said.

He smiled and walked over and sat down in front of me and just looked at me.

I took his hand and he sort of jumped and looked a little worried.

I laughed and said "Do not worry I am not going to hurt you." I took his hand again and started to sign his name while saying the letters as I signed them "J-a-m-e-s, J-a-m-e-s, J-a-m-e-s. Ok now you spell it back to me." I said.

He signed it back but got the "E" and the "S" confused. I took his hand and said "This is an 'E' and this is an 'S'." signing the letters in his hand.

"How did you learn this stuff, I mean you are still so young?" he asked.

I laughed and said "It really is not that hard, it just takes practice. What does she call you?" I asked him.

"She really does not have a name for me. We really do not interact that much." James said to me.

"Well we are going to go teach her who you are." I said taking his hand and leading him over to Helen. I laid my hand on top of Helen's letting her know I was there. I took her hand and put James hand in hers which sort of confused her. She felt his face and figured out who he was, but she did not know what to call him.

"Ok now spell out your name to her in her hand" I told him.

He spelled out J-a-m-e-s.

"Now let her touch your face." I instructed. I took Helen's hand and placed it on his face letting her feel his face. "Now spell you name again and then let her feel your face again."

He again spelled out J-a-m-e-s. This time he took her hand and placed it on his face.

Helen took James hand and spelled out J-a-m-e-s and then touched his face.

"Now tell her yes." I said to him but he just looked at me confused. "Like this." I said and took his hand and placed it to my face and shook my head yes. By this time had spelled his name again and touched his face trying to figure out if that was what he was.

James took her hand on his face and shook his head yes.

"There now she has a name for you." I said.

"That was all it takes? It's amazing that she can learn things that fast." He said.

"That was it, now you have a name you are not just another person."  
I said to him.

"Thank you" he said.

I took his hand and spelled out Y-o-u-r W-e-l-c-o-m-e.


End file.
